Twenty new marine engineering technicians will be welcomed into the ranks of the Canadian Navy on Friday Sept. 22. The Marine Institute and the Canadian Forces Naval Engineering School (St. John’s) will hold its Marine Engineering Technical Training Plan (METTP) graduation at 11 a.m. at the Canadian Forces Station St. John’s Drill Hall in Pleasantville.

Rear-Admiral P.D. McFadden C.D. will be the guest of honour for the graduation ceremony. In August, the Rear-Admiral assumed command of Joint Task Force Atlantic and Maritime Forces Atlantic.

The graduating class comes from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario and British Columbia. This province continues its strong representation in the Navy with 10 Newfoundlanders heading to the fleet. The graduates will be moving to Halifax, N.S., or Esquimalt, B.C. for further naval training prior to being assigned to naval ships sometime later this year.

The two-year METTP program trains naval recruits to operate, monitor and maintain advanced propulsion systems in Canadas Navy. The Marine Institute will award technician diplomas to the graduates in marine engineering.

The relationship between the Department of National Defence and the Marine Institute has been an enormous success for both organizations since its establishment in 1992. With each passing year, more and more naval trainees complete their technical training at the institute and continue on to successful careers in the Navy. On average, about 100 naval trainees are studying at the Marine Institute throughout the year.

The media is invited to attend the ceremony and speak with navy representatives and graduates.